John Ellis is a musician from Manchester the north of England. His journey in music blossomed in the free music education system in place around Manchester, U.K. in the 1980s. ​John has played and recorded with quite a few well known artists such as Corinne Bailey Rae, The Cinematic Orchestra 2001-2005, Lily Allen, Tom Jones, Mica Paris,  The Breath, James Yorkston, John Squire (Stone Roses) In the early 1990's he played hundreds of various gigs around Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and the whole of the north. A regular touring band was the Snake Davis Band where John became known as a hammond organanist/vocalist. In 1994, John toured extensively in Europe playing Frank Zappa music with Zappa protoge Ike Willis and Liverpool legends The Muffin Men, the creative freedom of Zappa inspired John to start a band of his own.

The 12-piece band "The John Ellis Big Bang" toured England between 1995 - 2001. Between 2001-2005 John toured and recorded predominantly with The Cinematic Orchestra, DJ Vadim and John Squire.

“A secret ingredient in albums by The Cinematic Orchestra, Lily Allen, Corinne Bailey Rae, Tom Jones, James Yorkston, John Squire (The Stone Roses), DJ Vadim amongst many  others…“

​”A real inspiration.” John Squire

“Astonishing. No one has achieved such feats of transformation with songs – turning glib platitudes into sublime statements of the human condition – since Nina Simone.” Mike Butler

“The charisma of singer/pianist John Ellis’s Big Bang has reached those parts of the population most localised jazz phenomena don’t reach.” – John Fordham- The Guardian ****

​”Tales from the Irk” has John singing and playing piano performing familiar tunes and melodies but with his own unique touch.